The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1887-01-21
THE MESSAGE.

THE MESSAGE.
Governor Martins Message to tn
Kansas Legislature.
Following is Governor Martins messag
sent to the Kansas Legislature on the 18th
10 Gse Senate and House Of Representative:
To be elected Chief Executive Of this great
Intelligent and progressive Stsse for secon
Term, is q distinguished honor. And trust
Is not inappropriate for me to express to the pes
pie Of Kansas, through you, their chosen repre-
generous confidence. my profound sense Of tn,
responsibilities dev0lved upon mo, and N,
earnest hope that may, by IN honest, faithful
aud conscientious performance Of my oficia
duties. in some measure justify the faith theJ
have reposed in me.
The growth Of Kansas, during the past tws
years, has been extraordinary. The census o.
March 1, 1884, gave the State . population o.
l,lT,614; that Of March 1, 1888, showed IN in
crease to .406, s3S; and our population now ex
Deeds 10000. Since the first of January. 1855
6fteen new counties have been organized These
counties had at the date Of their organization
IN aggregate population OF 8S,e4l, and they
yOlleO Al the november eIcCLlOu, (Lnrce mol
voting) q total Of Is, 100 votes. They include q
territorial area Of IA SIS square miles. Only two
OF the one hundred counties Of the State, EN-
orscing an area of I 500 square miles, remain
to be organized.
During the same period. two cities, Wichita
and Kansas City, have been organized Is cities
of the first class, and thirteen, Cherryvale. Abb
aene, Eureka Minneapolis, Anthony, Ell Dorado,
Seneca. Weir. Great Bend, Dodge City, Larned,
Hutchinson and South Topeka, as cities Of the
second class
Two years ago the railway mileage Of Kansas
aggregated only 4,4S6li miles, assessed at &sS,-
<0,M.S6, and traversing seventy-three counties
OF the State. To-day Kansas has 5000 miles Of
completed railway. the assessed valre of which
is fully S9,00G,OO0. These lines traverse eighty
six OF our one hundred counties.
In 1884 the assessed value OF all the property
of the State was sss7.0so,s 9l: for 1886 it was
&Zs-515,S53 We had, then, 1901, 1913 acres in
cultivation; last year we had Is, 473. 49e acres.
These figures indicate the constant growth Of
Che State. They illustrate. also. not only the
faith our own citizens have in the future OF Kan
sas, but the confidence the people OF other States
and countries feel in its substantial and cont;n-
Cous development. The influx Of foreign capital
end enterprise has, indeed surpassed that Of
any other period in the States history. The
railroad building OF the past year has been phe
nomenal far exceeding that accomplished dur
ing any previous season The growth Of our
cities and towns, also, has been uneXamplcd in
the history of any State: and the rapid, steady
and in some instances, extravagant increase in
property values, is remarkable.
You. gentlemen of the Legislature, are assem-
lied to make laws for this great State. II yolr
hands. also, rests all authority to levy taxes and
direct the expenditure of the public revenues.
in large measure. therefore, the honor and vel.
fare of t,ie commonwealth and the prosperity
Erd happiness Of its people depend upon your
action. The different State and bureau officers
and the boards having charge of our public insti-
tufons will all submit to you FOR your information
and consideration. their biennial papers. trust
you will examine these reports carefully, to the
end that you may act upon the suggestions or
Recommendations they embody with delibera-
ton and justice. 1: Is natural that each officer
charged with the performance OF specific duties.
and each board appointed to manage public
trust. should believe that the interests and
needs OF his or its department are most i'm
portant and pressing. Consider carefully all the
recommendations thus made. but bear in mind
n the same time the interests and needs Of the
people. The year Just closed has not been, in
many respects, a prosperous season. The crops
have been short, epidemics have brought heavy
losses upon stock raisers the prices Of all cere-
ais and stock have ruled low, and many Of our
citizens are feeling the stress Of the widespread
industrial depression. Economy in all appropri-
2fions made for the ensuing biennial period, is,
therefore, alike desirable and necessary. No
good citizen will complain concerning public
expenditure shown 70 be essential; all have .
right to complain IL, during such . period rs the
present unnecessary expenditures are author
lied.
NEW COUNTIES
Fifteen new counties have been organized
during the past two years, viz: Comanche, Feb
ruary q, Clark, May, 5, Thomas, October s. and
Meade, November T. 1885; and Hamilton Janu-
AIRY %, Kiowa, March q, Cheyenne, April l,
Lane, June 3, Seward. June II. Scott June
-, Stevens August s. Cove. September 2, Shcr
man, September 20, Morton. November Is and
Wichita, December "a, 1885.
Should the Legislature, by changes in county
lines, create additional counties, I earnestly
recommend that the law governing their organ
ization be made more specific in its directions.
It is, in its present form, confusing Snd made
quate.
THE Governor refers to the exciting contests
that follow the organization OF new counties, the
difficulty the Executive has to meet in locating
county seats and determining the legal voters,
and suggests that he be authorized to appoint
some citizen OF the. State not resident OF the
county Gs census taker.l
sTATE FINANCES
The reports OF the Auditor and Treasurer fur
nish detailed and satisfactory exhibit Of the
financial transactions of the State for the last
biennial period. During the two years covered
by these reports the receipts Of the treasury
(including a balance of 1854 5I2.O7 on hand July
i, 1891, aggregated S5,Si7 ,1G1.s3 and the dis
bursements for the same period were A,9C2-
SALT, leaving a balance in the treasury June 80,
SSs6. o; SS4- ssS16.
The total bonded debt Of the State on the list
Of January, 1887, was sS3o.5OO, showing a reduc-
ton since January ], 1885. OF $4,000. OF the
debt outstanding only ssl6,0OO OF bonds remain
In the hands Of individuals and corporations, |
500 being held by different State funds The
permanent school fund holds 49, 500; the sink
ing fund, $4,000. and the University fund.- |
$4,000
The bonds and securities in the Treasury on |
the 3lst day Of December, 1886. aggregated ST. !
6.S.0i6.62. as follows: Permanent school fund |
bonds sl.ool- 3s7.t6 sinking fund bonds. $1,000:
university fund bonds sos. SIS: normal school |
fund bonds, 81, 40.: Agricultural College enaow-
Inent fund bonds, si3S. 66s: Agricultural Col
lege notes and contracts, S4S,T1.SS.
From July 70 December 81, 1885, the receipts |
of the State Treasury were as follows: From /
taxes, S5i.0s4.67; from penitentiary earnings. |
20. sr41; from insane asyluns, 1921 from State
Librarian, sales CT Supreme Cour: Reports,
sI.aia-5o: from the Insurance Department sl0,-
ia 81; from sales Of school lands. principal.
SO: from sales of school lands interest,
&i&.se5.4i; from sales OF University lands,
Sa53..6, and interest. sl,sg79:
from sales Of Normal School lands. principal.
$oS6.10, and interest. s.. e.: from sales OF
Agricultural College lands. principal, SIS a.
and interest, si495.6i: from principal OF county,
township and school district bonds s95 2gI.
and from interest same. s1as 81. II from sale